Promotional Items and Their Impact on Doctors

According to a study in The Archives of Internal Medicine, medical school students felt more inclined to write a prescription for a drug they had seen on a promotional gift (e.g. promotional coffee mug, promotional pen) in comparison to students at medical schools where promotional products for Doctors were banned.

According to Beth Janicek of Injury Board, “The researchers worked with 352 third- and fourth-year students at Penn, which bans gifts, samples, etc. from drug companies, and the University of Miami, which allows them. When researchers sought to influence the student unconsciously, they found that the fourth year students at Miami showed strong positive feelings for the drug.”

The study summarizes how impactful the effect of branding can be. While promotional gifts in the healthcare industry can raise a lot of ethical questions, it goes to show how effective promotional items can be for your business.